Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Don’t Be Too Hard On Her
The man carefully finished adjusting his disguise, then lifted his eyes to look at her. After a moment, he frowned with clear displeasure.
Allison’s disguise was very cautious. She wore a thick knitted hat, her face was wrapped in a scarf, and she was dressed in Ella’s maid uniform. In a place like the black market, this kind of appearance only made her look suspicious and unappealing.
Jareth Taylor let out a short, cold laugh. Using a maid as cover was too obvious and only attracted attention. His luck was really awful tonight.
As he was about to push her aside, Allison suddenly grabbed his collar with unexpected strength.
In the next moment, their positions changed. Jareth was now the one against the wall. Allison pulled off her hat and scarf. Her long hair fell around her face, partly hiding her features. Jareth was momentarily speechless.
Without hesitating, Allison pulled her pants down to her ankles with one hand and slipped her arm through the neckline of her shirt with the other, turning the maid uniform into a revealing off-shoulder top in one motion.
Right then, the pursuers rushed into the alley.
Allison pressed her hands against Jareth’s lower abdomen while her whole body was leaning and swaying against him.
“Oh… you’re too good, I can’t take it any more… ah… you’re ruining me…” Allison moaned, tilting her head back as the alley light fell across her face.
The men chasing Jareth shone their flashlights toward them, scanning the scene. Jareth instinctively raised his hand to block the light, hiding his face.
The black market was a filthy place, full of addicts and pimps. Seeing what looked like a man “having fun” with a streetwalker, the pursuers immediately ignored them. The man in front of them clearly wasn’t the limping target they were looking for.
Seeing his exposed abs pressed tightly against the woman, they scoffed and ran away in another direction.
Once the footsteps disappeared, Allison let out a few more exaggerated moans before slowly looking toward the direction the men had gone.
Believing she had just escaped danger, she turned back, only to see a pair of sharp eyes.
That man’s stare was cold, filled with wariness and hostility, like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, judging a threat.
I clearly helped him, she thought. So why was he staring at me like that?
Did he feel humiliated and unable to endure it?
Instinctively, Allison staggered back. She lowered her head to adjust her clothes and deliberately ignored his stare.
Without her support, the man seemed to lose his balance slightly and had to lean on the black cane behind him.
Allison hadn’t planned to get involved in his predicament, but the man carried an unmistakable air of nobility. His status was obviously not ordinary.
The people chasing him clearly didn’t want any witnesses. Which meant that she, the witness, could also be in danger.
I had sneaked out today and wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible, so helping him was helping myself too.
Luckily, the man was crippled. No matter what he tried to do, she only needed to grab the bank card and run. He wouldn’t be able to catch her.
As expected, he didn’t go after her.
Allison slowed down her pace. Only now did her mind start to piece together what had happened. The man’s face flashed in her memory. Besides looking familiar, there was something else.
There was something strange about the herbal scent on him.
She didn’t think further about it. She hurried to the auction house to get a box of Alphasirox pills, then bought a new phone and a SIM card that didn’t require ID.
Meanwhile, Nigel and Ruth were still at the hospital.
In the hospital room, Ella was tidying up daily necessities while muttering, “If Ms. Rogers had come back earlier, Ms. Sherrie wouldn’t have gotten sick. Now she has to stay in the hospital for a few more days…”
Nigel frowned and looked toward the hallway, but Allison was nowhere in sight. Irritated, he snapped, “She’s so heartless. Are her legs made of gold that she can’t even visit Sherrie?”
Ruth’s eyes were red from exhaustion. As she wiped Sherrie’s hands, she tried to speak up for Allison. “She just got back. Maybe she’s tired. Don’t be too hard on her.”
Nigel scoffed. “She had good food and plenty of sleep in the psychiatric hospital. How could she be tired?”
In our family, Mom had to take care of everyone’s daily needs. Sherrie had to study and work to make up for my incompetent sister. Toby was busy with research overseas and couldn’t come home. And I had to run the hospital and earn money for the family.
None of us ever complained about being tired. Yet Allison, who spent the family’s money while resting in a psychiatric hospital, had the nerve to call herself exhausted?
Just then, Ella walked over happily, holding a box. “Mr. Nigel, this necklace must be so expensive! It’s beautiful!”
She took the necklace out and turned toward Sherrie. “Let me help you put it on!”
Sherrie, thinking the necklace was for her, was delighted and sat up excitedly.
But just as Ella was about to place it around Sherrie’s neck, Nigel suddenly reacted. Seeing what was happening, he blurted out, “That’s for Ally!”
Ella was startled.
Ruth’s reaction was stunned, too, and then her brows slowly drew together, as if she had just realized something.
Sherrie’s face reddened in embarrassment, and she hastily brushed Ella’s hands away.
Nigel also felt awkward. To ease the moment, he said, “Sherrie, this one isn’t valuable. I’ll buy you a better one next time.”
Sherrie sighed softly, sounding envious. “It’s not about the price. It’s the meaning behind it. This pendant has three stars. Two bigger stars are protecting the smaller one in the middle, just like how you and Toby protect your sister. I wish I could be part of that, but I’ll always be an outsider.”
Nigel flicked her forehead gently. “Why compare yourself to her? Toby and I care about you the most.”
Sherrie’s eyes followed the necklace as Nigel slid it back into his pocket. Her expression immediately darkened.
If they really cared about me, they would have given me the necklace to make me happy.
But Nigel had already stood up and called Ella out into the hallway.
In the corridor, Nigel looked at Ella coldly. “Remember this. You are just a housekeeper. If you overstep again, pack your things and leave.”
Ella felt wronged and tried to explain, “But in the past, the gifts from you and Mr. Toby were always for Ms. Sherrie…”
Nigel cut her off in a harsh tone. “Do I only have one sister?”